Firebrand Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D-NY) allegedly funneled thousands of dollars of campaign money into a Chinese media entity that is a registered foreign agent. And she’s not the only one.
Fellow Reps. Kevin Mullin (D-CA), Grace Meng (D-NY), and Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY) also reportedly poured funds into Sing Tao U.S. This corporation is a subsidiary of Sing Tao News Corporation Ltd., a Hong Kong-based conglomerate.
AOC Funneled Thousands Into Chinese Foreign Agent https://t.co/CfrvUx1Rk6
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) February 3, 2023
The Democrats used the registered foreign agent for advertising in last year’s midterm election cycle. The group publishes Chinese-language newspapers in several U.S. cities.
Fox News Digital gathered campaign finance records that showed AOC pumped $1,500 into the foreign agents for political advertising, Mullin, Meng, and Malliotakis spent between $1,000 and $7,000 with the Chinese company to spread their messages.
The Department of Justice in August 2021 forced Sing Tao U.S. to register as a Chinese foreign agent. The campaign monies were sent to the entity after that registration.
Funds were paid for advertising expenses in major cities such as New York City, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. The expenditures also came at a time when tensions rose sharply between Washington and Beijing.
Sing Tao U.S. claims to be independent of Chinese Communist Party influence. Axios reported that the outlet acquires the majority of its content from the Chinese company Star Production (Shenzhen) Limited.
The company argued against being forced to register as a foreign agent, declaring that it is “similarly situated to other for-profit media companies operating in the United States.”
However, it is undeniable that China operates one of the globe’s most restrictive media environments. Censorship and strong government pressure are pervasive.
The mere rumblings of civil unrest are enough to make the Chinese communists deny access to the media for its citizens and close the doors of publications that express the slightest discontent. Journalists are routinely harassed and often imprisoned for questioning the party line.
It is noteworthy when any political leaders distribute campaign funds to registered agents of foreign governments. That it was Democrats spreading the wealth is hardly surprising, and explanations should be forthcoming over the lack of discretion in choosing their advertising partners.
